As an overweight man, Christie is certainly not alone in the United States. But does his appearance affect his electability?

American voters, especially in the television era, tend to elect tall, relatively good-looking presidents.

The only president in the past 50 years under 5-foot-10 was Jimmy Carter, who was a bit over 5-9.

And while Bill Clinton was teased for his weight, he could hardly have been considered obese while in office.
The United States has not had a truly obese president since William Howard Taft, who left office in 1913.

Christie, 48, stands 5-11 and is fairly handsome, but his weight is already the butt of jokes and concern.

He hasn’t said publicly how much he weighs, although he did jokingly tell radio host Don Imus he weighed an exaggerated 550 pounds.

Christie’s health will certainly be an issue if he chooses to run. Opponents are certain to attack a candidate who looks like he could have a heart attack at any moment.

His weight might also undermine his message. Henry Blodget at Business Insider points out that urging spending cuts and belt-tightening might sound a little funny coming from a guy who seems to enjoy a large meal and might have some trouble actually tightening his belt.